“We’re all going to talk about it tonight. At least, that’s the plan. Everyone’s supposed to get together for dinner, but with no power and things being such a mess, I’m not sure if it’s still going to happen.”
They stood like that for what felt like forever before he realized just how hot it was outside. There was no direct sun–the skies were still gray and overcast–but he knew he was getting uncomfortable. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked. “I have a generator over at my place and while I don’t have a whole lot to choose from, at least it will be cold.”
She considered him for a long moment before agreeing. “Thank you. That would be nice.”
Together they walked back up the pier and at one point he reached for her hand to help her over some of the missing boards, but once they were back on the massive lawn, Mallory gently pulled her hand away. It was odd how much he wanted to grab it back.
“How did your place fare during the storm? Did you get much damage?” she asked.
“Other than losing some roofing shingles and some of the siding coming loose, the house itself made out okay. The property, just like Zeke’s, took the harder hit. There are so many trees and some of them just weren’t big enough to sustain the winds and then once we had all the flooding, so many of them just toppled over because of the saturated ground.” He shrugged and stepped over several fallen branches, then turned to help Mallory. “Shallow roots are really to blame in cases like this.”
It was small talk at its best, but Jake figured he’d better stick to safer topics after his numerous fails down on the pier.
They climbed up the back steps to the house and Jake opened the door for her and followed her inside. She froze after only a few steps and he walked right into her. “Oof!”
Mallory gasped and then turned, blushing adorably. “Sorry. I just…everything looks so different since I was here last.”
Jake stepped around her as he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of bottles of water, handing one to her. “When I bought the place from my folks two years ago, everything was seriously outdated. So this became my weekend project. I do a little something here and there.” He shrugged, opening his water. “Kind of like a labor of love. And besides, the place really needed it.”
She nodded but didn’t comment, taking a long drink of her water instead.
He motioned for her to sit down and noticed she was still curiously looking around. “You can walk around and check it all out if you’d like. Besides the kitchen and living room, I turned one of the bedrooms into an office and just started on the main bathroom.”
Without looking at him, Mallory walked around the living room. She touched the built-in bookcases he’d made and ran a hand over the new mantle over the fireplace. While the structure of the house was good, he knew the décor left a lot to be desired. This was still the furniture his parents had from when he was growing up and someday he’d replace it, but for now it was fine and functional. He figured she was looking around and redecorating the room in her mind and it made him smile.
“You think I should go with a sectional in here or a sofa and loveseat?” he asked, stepping into the space.
“A sectional,” she said without hesitation. “Something light and, knowing you, you’re going to want an even bigger television over the fireplace, right?”
Laughing, he nodded. “It was going to be a Christmas present to myself this year.”
“I went to visit Sam a couple of months ago and his TV seemed to fill up an entire wall!” she said, laughing with him. “I questioned him on it but then he proceeded to educate me on the importance of the big screen. Needless to say, I don’t love it from a decorating standpoint, but I understand it from an entertainment one.”
“The funny thing is I don’t watch a lot of TV, but when I do, I guess it will be nice. Although, for years I got by with this one and ones much smaller so…I’ll live if I never upgrade.”
Mallory moved around the room, looking at the framed family pictures he had on the bookshelves. “I don’t know about that. I think you should fill your home with things you want–things that make you happy.” She paused and moved over to the other built-in and examined those pictures. “Just last week I was looking around my place and thinking how I wish I could go on decorating it over and over. Or maybe just get a second place to decorate because I love to do it.”
“I remember,” he said softly and Mallory turned to look at him, her eyes a little wide. Shrugging, Jake went on, “I remember how much fun you had working on Zeke’s office and then the boathouse. You spent a lot of time that summer shopping for the perfect pieces of furniture and the perfect paintings and accessories.” He chuckled. “At the time I thought you were crazy, but I couldn’t argue with the finished product. It all looked great.”
Neither moved for a minute and once again, Jake had to wonder if he should have just kept his mouth shut. Then again, they couldn’t just pretend their past didn’t happen. It did. They had a history together and there were memories he was unwilling to never mention again.
No matter how uncomfortable it may make her.
Finally, Mallory said, “Thank you.” She walked back through the kitchen and then down the hall to his office. She stood in the doorway and Jake followed. “Did you make the desk yourself?” Her lips twitched with amusement.
“Um…yeah.” Truth was, it was a plastic folding table with a piece of plywood over it. He didn’t really need anything more, but he supposed a real desk might not be a bad investment. “I found it down in the garage and it does what I need it to do.”
She shook her head. “I do like what you did with the walls. The color is great and it’s impressive how you did built-ins in here without making them look the same as the ones in the living room. I didn’t realize carpentry was your thing.”
He shrugged again. “Don’t get me wrong, designing and building on a bigger scale is always going to be what I want to do, but I love projects like this and how I can personalize it exactly the way I want.”
For a minute she went completely still and then seemed to sway on her feet. When she looked ready to fall, Jake stepped in and put his arms around her. “Mal? You okay?” he asked frantically.
Placing a hand on her forehead, she nodded. “I skipped breakfast this morning and I think it’s really catching up with me.” She didn’t move away from him right away, but did fumble for her purse. “I should probably call my mother and ask her to come back and get me. It’s well after lunchtime, but I’m sure Aunt Georgia has something I can throw together.”
“Have lunch with me,” he blurted out before thinking it through. Her shocked expression didn’t deter him. “I haven’t eaten yet and was going to make a sandwich or something. You’re more than welcome to join me.”
He had forgotten just how expressive her face could be. Then again, he also knew how polite Mallory was and knew that even if she didn’t want to have lunch with him, she wouldn’t turn him down.
“Thanks, but…I think I’ll just call Mom and go grab something with her and the family.”